Poison
by Vanamo
Summary: Delphine learns of Leekie's plans to have the clones sign contracts. Smelling a rat, she goes to the DYAD and is poisoned. Cophine, set during the season finale and goes AU from there.
1. Chapter 1

Set during Endless Forms Most Beautiful (1x10) then goes AU. Cosima is not sick.

* * *

Delphine was clutching the handle of her knapsack and glancing between the window, her phone, and the other passengers on the bus from the airport. Not that she could see anything, as it was just past 3 am, Toronto time. She knew making amends between Cosima and herself would not be easy, but regardless of whether Cosima would take her back she flew after her. A recent text message on her phone shone brightly in the otherwise dim bus, mocking her.

_From: Dr. Leekie_

_Having subjects sign self-awareness contracts. Locate Cosima and persuade to accept offer. -A.L. _

Delphine had scoffed upon first read some nine hours. After all that she had found out within the past few days, she was sure that any offer the DYAD made was nothing more than bullshit wrapped up with a legal language bow. Leekie was the real danger to Cosima, more real than any religious extremist boogeyman or any friends lurking in high, dark places. No more, thought Delphine. She would prove her loyalty was to Cosima and the others, and booked a last minute flight.

She sighed and ran a hand through her flyaway hair, scanning the interior of the bus once more before sending a text to Cosima.

_Hey, I'm in town, just landed. I need to speak to you. _

She kept it vague in case Leekie managed to intercept the message. Delphine wanted to shake off the thought as paranoid, but she honestly did not know what to expect.

The bus whined to a halt and Delphine shoved her phone in her pocket and shuffled off the bus. She was at the train station, from which she estimated the DYAD was two blocks away, and her hotel a train ride in the other direction.

She pulled out her phone once more. No new messages.

"Oh, merde," Delphine muttered. Screw it. She walked briskly toward the DYAD as wet, fluffy flakes of snow whirled around the entrance of Huxley station and the last train of the night blew its horn.

* * *

It was strange, Delphine thought. Her actions in themselves were not yet a betrayal. She entered the building with a swipe of a card, took the elevator to the lab and punched in the access code. The institute was, as far as she could tell, deserted. Nevertheless, she must be quick, Delphine thought. She dropped her bag onto a counter and began to rummage through the file cabinets. Anything on Cosima, genetic sequencing, or on Leekie and the DYAD itself she threw on the table. After ten minutes or so of frantic searching, she stumbled upon a USB drive. It wasn't marked, but Delphine tucked it in her pocket anyway.

"Well, well... Et tu, Delphine?"

Delphine whirled around to see Leekie and two others blocking the door. One was a middle aged man who she recognized as one of the DYAD's suits, Daniel Rosen. The other was yet another clone: blonde, in a power suit.

"Aldous, I was just..." Delphine started, but Aldous just raised a hand and shook his head.

"Delphine, you really were one of my most promising students. I hoped you would see the bigger picture, what our work is really about," he said calmly.

Delphine clenched her fist around the USB drive in her pocket. "And would that be, Aldous?"

"Why, the advancement of the human race. The eradication of famine, disease, even death. It all starts here, you see. And you could have been a part of that," Leekie continued. Delphine noticed the clone roll her eyes, as if she had heard this speech before.

"You will not convince Cosima this way, Aldous. Let me go and show her our work-"

"Oh Delphine, don't bullshit me. It doesn't suit you," he shook his head and turned to Rosen. "Fetch me hers, will you?" Rosen nodded and exited the lab.

"My what?" Delphine asked, suddenly aware of no other exit from the room.

Leekie shrugged. "Well, given the circumstances it would stand to reason for a termination of employment. Now that we've seen your true loyalties, dear."

Rosen returned with a metal briefcase, which he set on a lab stool and unlocked. The clone smirked as he handed Leekie a small vial. Delphine's eyes widened.

"Tell me dear, what is the purpose of an operon?" he asked, holding the flask up to the bluish hall light.

Delphine took a breath and tried to clear her head. Whatever was in the bottle was dangerous, judging by the way he observed it with pleasure. He must be enjoying this too, watching her like a cornered prey evaluating her options. The only way she saw out of this room was to comply.

"The purpose of an operon is to activate or inactivate a sequence of genes depending on the function of the cell, which allows for cell differentiation. A substrate binds to the operon, changing its shape," she supplied.

"Very good," Leekie crooned. "And why, pray tell, are only a small number of genes actually used in coding for RNA and proteins?"

"Because their operons block DNA polymerase from replicating the genetic sequence," Delphine again answered, trying to keep her voice steady. This was Biology 101. Why was Leekie giving her a pop quiz?

"Yes, and that really confuses many scientists. 'Junk DNA,' they call it. I despise the term. Tell me, Delphine, while you were trespassing and tearing apart that file cabinet, did you find my latest research on operons?" Leekie glanced over at the pile of papers on the floor and desk beside her.

"I did not," she spat. With each passing moment she grew angrier. Leekie was playing games with her, trying to delay her from warning Cosima and the others.

"Sad, it's quite interesting. The same process that allows for cell specialization, you see, can also lead to cell degeneration," he explained. "All it takes is one switch of the operon, and the reaction is self-sustaining. In one of those little 'junk' genes." He and Rosen began to advance toward Delphine. "Not that any of this will help you or Cosima to discover a cure. Grab her, Daniel."

Delphine tried to run past him but Rosen grabbed her left arm and roughly pushed her against the open file cabinet. She cried out as her ribs met the sharp metal edges and Rosen kept her arm bent at an unnatural angle. He flicked his fingers against the crook of her elbow as she continued to struggle.

Leekie came into view once more with a needle and filled the plunger with the liquid from the vial. "This may pinch," he chuckled before jamming the needle into her vein.

Delphine watched in horror as the unknown liquid entered her body.

Leekie removed the latex gloves and threw the needle into a biohazard waste bin. "Now then," he said, "consider your employment with the DYAD terminated. Feel free to leave; the side effects will begin to take effect soon enough. You have my word you will not be followed."

Delphine gathered a gulp of saliva in her mouth and spit on the neolutionist's face. "ta parole est connerie," she growled, yanking her bag off the table and sprinting out the door and up the emergency stairs.

* * *

Rough translation: Your word is bullshit.

Any French phrases are coming directly from Google Translate, so forgive me if they do not make sense. I only speak very limited Spanish.


	2. Chapter 2

"What are you gonna do, Sarah?" Cosima asked, staring blankly into the wine she was nursing perched between her legs. "About the contract, I mean."

Sarah shrugged, surveying the apartment. Allison had fallen asleep a little before 4 a.m. and Sarah was losing steam as well. Felix had gone to bed with a comment about how it was like listening to Sarah talk to herself, worse than when they were five, fuck you too Fee.

"I dunno," she finally muttered, her own glass abandoned on the table. "Better question: what are you gonna do about Delphine?"

Cosima rolled her eyes and downed the last of her red wine before picking up her cell phone. "Do you think I should text her back? I mean, she flew across a time zone for me."

"She also lied to you and sold us out to freaky Leekie," Sarah quickly reminded her, crossing her arms. "It's one more danger to Kira, Cos."

Cosima shook her head. "That's the thing I can't get out of my head. She said she didn't tell them about Kira," Cosima held up a hand when Sarah started to protest. "No, I believe her. I don't know, she seemed so sincere. Even though I was batshit angry, I could tell that. She may have lied Sarah, but I don' think it was all lies..." she trailed off, looking morose.

"She was that good, huh?" Sarah rolled her eyes. "Monitoring the monitor, and all. You did a real thorough job."

"Shut it," Cosima smirked. Just then, her phone began to blare an obnoxious techno beat. Cosima stared at it, "It's Delphine."

Sarah's eyebrows furrowed and she moved from the chair to sit next to Cosima on the sagging couch. "Well, answer it."

Cosima nodded and pushed the button. "Hello?"

Both clones looked at each other, confused, when they heard nothing but ragged breathing on the other end. Then the speaker began to cough, the sound fading as if the phone had moved. A horn blew in the background. "Delphine?" Cosima asked, trying to contain her worry. "Delphine, is that you? Are you ok?"

"Co-" cough, "Cosima," a voice on the other end finally breathed. "I, I need your he-" another cough, "please, I can't- can't-"

"Delphine? Delphine!" Cosima shouted into the phone. She and Sarah strained to hear Delphine's voice but were met with only another horn and a clatter before the line went dead.

Cosima stood up and shook her head, covering her mouth and still looking down at the phone for a moment before racing across the room to the coat rack.

"Cosima? Cosima where're you-" Sarah blocked the door as Cosima shrugged on her red pea coat.

"Sarah, I have to find her. I can't just-" Cosima's voice broke and she threw her hands in desperation. "Either come with me or get out of the way, Sarah," she half-commanded, half-pleaded.

Sarah sighed and checked the time - 4:25 am. "Let me write a note to Fee, yeah?"

Cosima nodded and hurriedly dabbed her eyes with her coat sleeve before Sarah could notice her tears. "Do you have any idea where we're going?" Sarah asked from the kitchen counter as she scrawled out a message.

"She must be somewhere busy - all those car horns, right?" Cosima guessed as Sarah stepped into her boots.

"Yeah, I-" Sarah looked up suddenly. "Wait, Cos. The horns," her eyes lit up.

"What about them?"

Sarah put a hand on the clone's shoulder. "I don't think they were cars. I think they were trains."

"The train station?" Cosima questioned.

Sarah nodded and grinned. "Huxley is only a few blocks away."


	3. Chapter 3

She had managed to escape the DYAD and run a few blocks before her limbs began to feel heavy. She slowed until she was walking, then trudging, then limping along, clutching the brick wall for support. Her chest heaved and she began to cough loudly. The sound reverberated from her surroundings and in her ears, making her head throb. This was definitely some type of poison, Delphine thought hazily. She wiped her mouth with her hand and wasn't sure if the dots she saw were merely clouding vision or droplets of blood spatter. Perhaps both.

A memory flickered in the back of her mind: the German's respiratory disease. Leekie had talked about it, the cell degeneration. Had he mentioned that again tonight?

Delphine felt dizzy and sick to her stomach. Slowly, she slid down the brick wall next to a plowed snow bank and shielded her face from the white light overhead a few meters away. She needed to focus. She must call Cosima and warn her of Leekie.

Stifling another cough, she produced her phone from her pocket and squinted at the bright, floating screen. Was Cosima on her speed dial? Had she responded to her text? Closing her eyes, Delphine punched the numbers from memory and pressed send, taking a shuddering breath with each dial tone.

The beeps stopped, and there was Cosima's voice. Her Cosima. She chuckled in relief, but her laugh morphed into another coughing fit. Unable to balance herself with just one hand, she half leaned, half fell into the adjacent pile of dirty snow. When the intensity of the coughs passed and she could open her eyes, the snow was stained red.

"Delphine?" she heard. "Delphine, is that you? Are you ok?" Yes, it was Cosima. No, she didn't think she was ok. She felt cold yet the snow felt so good against her cheek. She could fall asleep right here on this concrete.

"Co-Cosima," she whispered, letting out another cough. Delphine felt panic rising in her chest. She must warn Cosima, but she felt so tired. "I, I need your he-" another cough. She swallowed, blinking up at the swirling night sky. Her phone was beeping, indicating low battery, or maybe that was her heart pounding with every passing second. "Please, I can't... I can't..." This time the coughing would not stop. She buried her face into her scarf, her throat burning with each hack. Delphine was acutely aware of her phone clattering to the ground, a loud horn in the distance, something wet on her cheek. Snow or blood? Perhaps tears? She did not know.

Cosima's face was her last thought before she slipped into unconsciousness.

* * *

The moon was still high above the horizon, but Cosima could see the faint edges of a lightening sky to the east, the direction she was running. She ignored Sarah's shouts to slow down (after all, she didn't exactly know her way around town) and continued down the street, straining her ears for any train horn, a taxi, anything.

"Cosima, slow down!" Sarah shouted from behind her, sprinting just to keep up.

Cosima finally halted as a trash truck mowed down the avenue she was about to cross, and leaned against a street pole to wait for Sarah. The punk clone wiped the strands of hair that were plastered to her face from the chilly wind and her sweat away.

"Which way?" Cosima demanded. She was looking around frantically, pacing because she couldn't stand to stay still while Sarah caught her breath.

"Should be this next right, bout halfway down the block, but we dunno where she is in the station or- Dammit, Cosima!" Sarah yelled, for she was already halfway across the street with no regards to oncoming traffic.

"Come on," Cosima muttered, more to herself than Sarah. She looked up at the skies once more, at the stars that twinkled mockingly, watching her from light years away.

She turned the corner and was almost to the entrance when she saw her.

"Delphine," she gasped, tears coming before she could stop them.

The French woman's skin had a grey pallor about it, except for her lips which were tinged a dark red. Half of her face and hair was buried in the snow bank, which was soaking through her coat. Her cell phone lay on the ground, either dead or broken, and her fingertips were white.

"Oh no, no no no," Cosima pulled her out of the snow, cupping Delphine's face with her hands. Even through her gloves, she could feel the heat radiating off her cheeks. "C'mon Delphine, I need you to wake up. Fuck, c'mon!" She shook the other woman and Delphine's head bobbed against her chin before finally gasping and opening her eyes.

Cosima let out a sob and threw her arms around Delphine, cradling her head against her chest.

"Holy shite," Sarah muttered, having finally located her clone. "She alright?"

Cosima shook her head frantically. "She's burning up, and I think she was coughing up blood-"

"Like the German?"

Cosima bit her lip and nodded as Delphine began to cough once more. The dreadlocked clone rubbed circles on her back and had her bend across her knee so she was parallel to the ground, hoping to clear any mucus from her lungs. "Hey, just breathe ok? Sarah's gonna call an ambulance and-"

Delphine quickly shook her head, grimacing at the pain the movement caused. "Non, je ne peux pas... please, no hospital-" she whispered, snuggling closer into Cosima's grasp.

"Oi, you were barely breathing!" Sarah snapped, crouching down in the slush with Cosima. "Be glad Cosima came after you or some bum mighta taken a piss on you-"

"Sarah," Cosima warned lowly. Her eyes never left Delphine, whose breathing had evened out somewhat. "Why can't you go to the hospital?"

Delphine's eyes fluttered shut. "Leekie... I went to the DYAD to confront him, these contracts... he injected me with something. It must be causing my symptoms," she said softly.

"And lemme guess, the antidote to whatever it is you've got's in the DYAD?" Sarah asked.

Delphine nodded minutely. "Je suis désolé, je... ne voulais pas," she croaked.

"What's that?" Cosima murmured, placing her hand on the back of Delphine's neck. She feared that the woman would lose consciousness again if Cosima didn't keep her aware.

"She's sorry, she didn't mean to.. somethin'," Sarah supplied flatly. Before Cosima could ask her how she knew French, she continued, "Oi, Delphine," and snapped her fingers in front of the French woman's face. "Stay awake, yeah? I'm gonna call a cab, we'll get you somewhere safe. Then when you're well I'll give ya a nice kick in the twat for what you've done to Cos and you'll be on your way, got it?"

"Don't push it Sarah," Cosima sighed. Delphine had passed out again. "Not now."

Sarah moaned and stood up. "Sorry. Let's get her back to Felix's, then we can figure out what the fuck is going on. Sound like a plan?"

Cosima nodded but didn't move from Delphine's side.

"For fuck's sake. Do you want me to call a cab or am I giving you both piggy back rides?"


	4. Chapter 4

It was a long, harrowing journey back to Felix's apartment. The streets were deserted so they couldn't have called a cab even if they weren't such a conspicuous sight. Two women who look strikingly similar carrying a third? Even the cab drivers who didn't speak English would be curious. So Sarah and Cosima took turns carrying Delphine. Actually it was more like Sarah carried the woman fireman style for most of the way while complaining loudly to Cosima, and Cosima would walk beside her, never taking her eyes from Delphine. She almost walked into a pole because of it.

The trio finally reached the entrance to Felix's building and Sarah set Delphine down on the stairwell with a grunt. "I can't carry her up three flights, Cos. You've gotta wake her up."

Cosima nodded and blinked away a fresh set of tears. "Delphine? Delphine, I need you to wake up, ok?" she cooed. Any residual anger at the other woman had faded the moment Cosima saw her lying on the ground like that. It didn't matter if she trusted her, if she loved... Delphine was scaring her, and all Cosima wanted was for her to be ok.

After a moment, Delphine began to stir. She let out a soft whimper and rubbed her eyes, blinking continuously. "Cosima?" she whispered and let out a sigh. "Cherie, you're here..."

Cosima couldn't help but grin. "Yeah, I'm here. I need you to stay awake, ok? Here, lean on me, we've gotta go up some stairs." She threw Delphine's arm over her shoulder and Sarah took the other. Slowly they made their way up the stairs. They were almost to Felix's floor when Cosima couldn't ignore Delphine's ragged breathing any more. She couldn't see her face but the blonde's body was tense, trying to hold back the cough rising in her chest. Cosima stopped on a landing and bent down, caressing Delphine's arm, "I'll carry you the rest of the way."

Delphine nodded and wrapped her arms around Cosima's neck. Despite the height difference, Cosima was able to carry Delphine up the remaining stairs. Sarah raced ahead and unlocked the iron bolt. "Put her on the couch for now, alright? I'll wake Fee," she told Cosima.

Cosima gently deposited Delphine on the plump couch. Their wine glasses and Cosima's phone from earlier that night were still on the coffee table. She sat beside Delphine on the floor so her face was level with the blonde's, who had once again fallen asleep from exhaustion. Cosima bit her lip as she tucked a strand of hair away from Delphine's pale face. Each inhale was a slight wheeze. It reminded her of the German's disease, like Sarah had said. But how was that possible? Delphine obviously wasn't a clone, and they hadn't found any markers on Katja's DNA.

Cosima buried her face in her hands and rubbed her cheeks, which were no doubt blackened with mascara. She had to fix this somehow.

"Whoa, look what the clone dragged in," Cosima heard from behind, startling her. She turned and looked up to see Felix in charmeuse boxers and a cyan sleeping mask resting on his forehead. Sarah stood awkwardly behind him. "She's not contagious right? Because I've got plans," he asked.

"I don't know yet," Cosima replied honestly. "Do you have a thermometer? Tylenol, anything to bring her fever down?"

Felix glanced at Sarah, who gave him the nod. "S'in the kitchen. Want a cuppa?"

"Please," Sarah muttered. "You can't brew a decent tea to save yer life." Felix ignored her comment with the exception of an eye roll and handed Cosima a thermometer, Motrin and a few other pill bottles, and a relatively clean damp dish rag.

"It has to go up the ass," Felix grinned as Cosima began to lift Delphine's arm.

"The hell it does," Sarah hit him in the chest. The trio waited for a pause before the instrument began to beep.

"102.3," Cosima supplied. It wasn't as high as she feared, but still. She wiped Delphine's forehead with the cloth and kissed her cheek.

Sarah cleared her throat. "Right. Well as cute as this is, I haven't slept in a bloody long time and I'd like to get to it before the birds start chirping," she explained, pulling off her shirt and dropping her pants before heading for Felix's bed.

Felix sighed and plopped down in the chair. "You look like shit too," he smirked. "Go lay down or something. I won't let her die on my watch."

"Will you?" Cosima asked, somehow doubting his sincerity.

He shrugged. "Probably. But Sarah is tolerating her, for now, so I might as well let one more bird perch here in my humble abode. Now go before I change my mind," he yawned and stretched in the chair.

Cosima nodded slowly. "Let me know if she gets any worse," she murmured before walking back to the bed to join Sarah.

Allison, for her part, was deeply asleep in the bay window and muttering something about ponies.


	5. Chapter 5

The first thing she was aware of was how heavy her chest felt. Each breath felt like lifting iron weights or climbing the rope in primary school. Delphine never excelled at sports, although she liked to play badminton with her father when she was young. The second thing was the general ache that seemed to permeate her entire body. Everything from her metatarsals to her mandible felt like it had gone through the laundry on high spin. As a result, the last thing she wanted to do was open her eyes. She whimpered as a chill seeped into her bones and she shivered.

"Hey," a voice suddenly called. It was British, but Delphine did not recognize it. Panicking at the thought that Leekie had captured her, Delphine's eyes sprung open and she tried to move away from the stranger.

Maybe it was because her arms felt like jell-o or because the couch she was laying on was so overstuffed, but she couldn't get any traction to even lift herself.

"Whoa, whoa," the person said, lowering their volume to a whisper as tears welled up in Delphine's eyes. "You're alright. I'm Felix, Sarah's foster brother."

Delphine stared at him, wide-eyed but with no other reaction. Felix sighed and tried again. "Sarah and Cosima brought you here. Do you remember?"

Delphine's breath hitched at the mention of Cosima. Felix raised an eyebrow. "You want Cosima?"

The French woman managed a nod. "J'ai besoin d'elle .. pour lui dire-" her rasping was cut off by another fit of coughing, not as intense as before but still enough to scare Felix.

"Whoa, yeah ok," Felix jumped up and sauntered to the bed, plopping down beside the dreadlocked clone. "Oi, Cosima? Cosima wakey-wakey!"

Cosima jumped and her eyes shot open. "Wha-" she reached for her glasses and sat up, looking at Felix in confusion for a second before Delphine's coughing shook the silence.

"Fuck," she nearly tripped over a loose rug and was at Delphine's side in seconds. Delphine was lying on her side with her left hand over her mouth, trying to stifle the coughs. Cosima rubbed her right shoulder and grabbed the dish rag that had since fallen off her forehead and patted her cheek. As the coughing died down, Delphine let her hand fall limp. It was covered in speckles of blood.

"Oh god, Delphine…" Cosima swallowed and used the cloth to wipe away the blood before it dried. There was also just a bit at the corner of her lip and Cosima wiped there too before kissing her softly in the same spot. "You're ok," she whispered, running her fingers through Delphine's hair.

Delphine shook her head and found Cosima's hand, who held it tightly. "Désolé… Je suis désolé pour vous blesser. Vous ne méritez pas cette, ma chèrie," she murmured. Her eyes were not the usual soft light brown Cosima loved, but darker and clouded.

"I think she's out of it just a smidge," Felix commented from behind the pair. "Dun't seem to understand the Queen's English."

Cosima nodded. "I noticed. I'm worried this is the same disease the German had," she said more to herself than to Felix.

"The one who got shot?" Felix asked. "But Sarah said you thought it was a clone club thing."

"I did," Cosima said, "But now I'm not sure. Delphine said earlier that Leekie injected her with something… what if what she has, what the German had, is some type of genetically engineered pathogen?"

"Shite, so she is contagious?" Felix scrambled back halfway to the kitchen.

"No, no," Cosima reassured him. "I highly doubt it. But to be on the safe side, don't get any of her blood in your mouth or eyes."

"Wasn't planning to," he deadpanned as he stood and stretched. "I'm going back to bed."

"Kay," the clone answered, not really caring. Her attention was still on Delphine. "You should try and sleep some more."

The blonde stared at her with half lidded eyes. "Oh, right, French," Cosima muttered. "Um… I really don't know anything besides that one nursery rhyme."

Delphine scrunched her eyebrows together, either from pain or exhaustion. "Je ne…"

"Right, you don't understand," Cosima sighed. She took both of Delphine's hands in hers as the other woman began to drift off once more. "Ok, but I'm kind of tone deaf so don't laugh at me."

"Frère Jacques, frère Jacques,  
Dormez-vous? Dormez-vous?  
Morning bells are ringing, morning bells are ringing.  
Ding, dang, dong. Ding, dang, dong," she half-sang, half-hummed as she blended together English with her limited French.

Within a few minutes, Cosima was asleep sitting on the floor, holding Delphine's hands with her head resting in front of Delphine's chest.

* * *

Translations:

I need her… to tell (her)…

Sorry … I'm sorry for hurting you. You do not deserve this, my dear…

I don't… (understand)

And if you don't know the translation of Frère Jacques I'm sorry you had a sucky childhood. Here is a really cool rendition of it, btw.


	6. Chapter 6

It was some hours later when Delphine awoke once more, a little less confused as to her surroundings. Light streamed into the apartment from the wide windows above the bed and kitchen counter and reflected off the varnish on the green table. Delphine could see the dust particles floating in the light and watched them thoughtfully before a cough jarred her chest. She stifled it in the crook of her elbow but not before the sleeping form next to her began to stir.

"Delphine?" Cosima croaked, her voice rough with sleep. She rotated her head and her neck cracked, making Delphine wince. "Are you okay?"

Delphine nodded as the coughs subsided and sighed in relief. No blood this time. "Mm, oui. I did not mean to wake you," she turned so she was facing Cosima once more and began to sit up.

"Hey, you don't need to get up," Cosima said as she placed her hand on Delphine's upper arm. She paused before adding, "You really scared me last night…"

The blonde pursed her lips and sat up anyway, despite Cosima's protest, and opened her arms. The clone sniffed and crawled onto the couch, under the blanket and leaned into the embrace. "I am okay now, cherie."

Cosima removed her glasses and tossed them on the table so she could wipe her eyes with her sweater. Delphine's chest ached and she kissed the other woman's forehead. "Please do not cry," she whispered, her voice threatening to crack.

Cosima let a few more tears fall before pressing the back of her hand to Delphine's cheek. "Your fever isn't as high," she said breathlessly with a slight grin.

Delphine smiled back in affirmation. "I am quite tired, but I think that is the- what do you call it? With the plane and the disruption of circadian rhythms?"

"Jet lag," the clone supplied, amused. She pressed her head against Delphine's chest, letting the heart beat calm her. Delphine nodded happily and wrapped her arms around Cosima, "Yes, that!"

Cosima paused for a beat before asking, "What do you remember about last night?"

The French woman ran her fingers through her hair, which was even more flyaway and tangled than normal. "Not much," she replied honestly. "I came after you because I knew I had to set things right, prove to you my loyalty. So I went to the DYAD, to gather any information I could. That was when Dr. Leekie found me. It was him, another man, and one of your clones, one I did not recognize from my research."

Cosima's eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "What did she look like? Besides the obvious, that is."

"She was… blonde, her hair in a kind of bob. Like a businesswoman," Delphine squinted at the ceiling, trying to remember any other distinctive features. "I do not know her name."

"That must be the pro-clone Sarah was talking about. The one who was trying to get her to sign the contract," Cosima explained.

Delphine nodded in understanding and held Cosima at arm's length, so their eyes met. "You must not sign those contracts, cherie. They are hiding something. No matter what they offer you, they are after something deeper."

The dreadlocked clone bit her lip and sighed. "I should call Sarah and Allison and warn them," she said and reached for her phone. The clock on the screen showed that it was almost noon.

"Will they trust this information? It comes from me, after all," Delphine questioned.

Cosima placed her free hand on Delphine's knee under the blanket. "I trust you," she said firmly.

Delphine couldn't hold back a smile or the butterflies in her stomach. The brunette leaned in to kiss her but as soon as Delphine's joy came, it was replaced by her gag reflex. She turned away from Cosima and began to cough once more into her hands.

"You're okay," Cosima whispered, trying to convince herself as much as Delphine as the blonde struggled for a full breath. Delphine brought her knees up to her chest and rested her forehead against them, which was now coated with a new sheen of sweat. As an immunologist, Delphine knew this was not the ideal position for lung expansion, but she could not bear to get blood on Cosima or Felix's couch. Cosima continued to rub her back and now it was Delphine who leaned into the affectionate embrace.

Within a few minutes Delphine's breathing evened out once more. "Suis bon, Cosima," she murmured.

Before Cosima could respond, her phone began to vibrate on the couch next to the couple. She answered, "Yeah?" and her eyes went wide. Delphine could hear the other person shouting, but could not make out the words. "Wait, what? Sarah slow down, I can't-…they did what? Okay, what do you want me to- yeah, okay. We'll be here," Cosima hung up.

"What's wrong?" she asked softly.

"Kira's missing."


	7. Chapter 7

"Delphine, what are you doing?" Cosima asked as the blonde sprang from the couch. Delphine clutched her head, for the sudden movement made her dizzy. But she shook it off and reached for her coat, still damp from the night before. "Delphine, you can't-"

It was then that Cosima saw the device in Delphine's hand. "What is that?"

"This," Delphine tossed the coat aside sat back down on the couch next to the brunette, "was the only thing I managed to take from the DYAD. I do not know what it contains, I just...saw it and grabbed it. That is when they found me."

"So it might have info on our DNA? Or whatever Leekie poisoned you with?" Delphine could hear the hope in Cosima's voice and nodded.

"Do you have your laptop, cherie?" she questioned.

"Oh, right," Cosima stood up and fumbled through her bag in the corner of the living room. Within moments the computer booted up and Cosima inserted the drive.

"Merde," Delphine sighed as they stared at the screen.

"It's encrypted. Fuck," Cosima rubbed her temples. "How can we decode it if we don't even know what we're looking for? It could literally be anything."

"I know," Delphine kicked herself internally. She was naive to think that Leekie would leave anything with valuable information laying around, unprotected.

Suddenly there was a loud crash right outside the apartment. Both women jumped as the door flew open and in came a raging Sarah, who headed straight for Delphine.

"Where is she?!" the clone yelled, pushing Cosima aside and pinning Delphine to the couch by the throat. "What've you done with my daughter?!"

"Sarah, calm down!" Cosima put her hand on her sister's shoulder but Sarah just jerked away.

"Don't fucking touch me," she growled, leaving Cosima momentarily stunned before she turned back to Delphine. "Now I'm going to ask you one more time, and if you don't answer I'm gonna kick the living shite outta you!" Delphine stared at her, wide-eyed and gasping for breath.

"Sarah!" Cosima kicked her clone in the back of her right knee, causing her to momentarily lose balance. Cosima used the short window to pry Sarah's hands away and push her onto the other end of the couch, Cosima's knee between Sarah's legs. She continued to fight and tussle for a few seconds but then her punches loosened and Cosima could see tears threatening to overrun her carefully constructed charade.

"Shh," Cosima whispered, stroking Sarah's wind-tangled hair. "Calm down, ok? Let that Parasympathetic nervous system kick in."

"I've got no bloody clue what that is," Sarah croaked. She looked past Cosima and over at Delphine, who was clutching her neck and still breathing heavily. "Why didn't you let me just-fuck!" she screamed so loud it echoed throughout the apartment. Pushing Cosima off of her, Sarah sat up and swung her legs around off the couch and buried her face in her hands. "Cos, I... I've gotta find her," she whispered.

Cosima rubbed her back, much like she had done during Delphine's coughing fits. "You will, Sarah. And we'll help you. Me, Allison, all of us."

Sarah shot her a glare, which Delphine knew was really meant for her.

"She's on our side, now," Cosima explained simply. "See that?" she nodded to the computer. "Delphine was able to smuggle out this flash drive. It's encrypted but once we break it- It's gotta contain information on the DYAD, or our genetic material or something we can use to help get Kira back."

"Just give me a few hours, I know I can break it," Delphine added, her voice slightly hoarse.

Cosima nodded. "And I'll help. Where's Felix? And Allison, for that matter?"

Sarah just sighed. "Fee's trying to get in contact with some of Mrs. S's old friends. See if she mighta run off with Kira somewhere. Allison's picking up her kids, I think. Bringing them here."

Delphine bit her lip. "Maybe she should not. If the DYAD is responsible for this, they will soon find this place too. We must find somewhere safe to hide."

"I might know a place," Cosima piped up, looking deep in thought between the two women shooting daggers at each other.

"Where?" both asked simultaneously.

"Brock University. The U - the University of Minnesota, that is - they have an exchange program with them. I did some research there last summer. I could totes sneak in and do my geek monkey science there while you and Allison chase down the bad guys."

"Where is it?" Sarah asked warily.

"About an hour from here? Ten minutes from Niagara falls, tops," Cosima smirked.

Sarah slowly nodded. "Alright. Let's go."


	8. Chapter 8

"Mommy, who are these ladies?" Gemma asked for the tenth time from the back of the minivan. Allison was driving with Sarah riding shotgun, Felix sitting between Gemma and Oscar in the middle row, and Delphine and Cosima in the far back. Oscar, who had been playing Fruit Ninja on Felix's phone, looked up and echoed, "Yeah, why do you two look like mom?"

Allison sighed and gripped the wheel as she maneuvered through the Toronto traffic. She wasn't used to driving outside of the suburbs. "Honey, I'm going to explain to you later okay? Right now Mommy needs to concentrate on her driving. Sarah, can you…?" She turned to her right and waved a hand in the general direction of the row behind them.

Sarah continued to stare out the window at the setting sun against the cityscape, her forehead pressed against the window pane.

"Oi, Sarah!" Felix hollered and kicked Sarah's seat.

Sarah groaned and switched off her ipod that was so loud the baseline could be heard throughout the car. "Okay, okay," the "punk" version of Allison turned around in the seat. "Listen cause I'm only explaining this once. Me and your mum? We're basically, I dunno, sisters. Like we've got the same genes. But we didn't know about each other. Same with Cosima back there. You've already met Uncle Felix – he's my foster brother. And the one with Cosima's Delphine."

Gemma nodded and craned her neck to the back seat. "Cosima, is Delphine your foster sister?" she asked innocently.

Delphine was currently sleeping on Cosima's chest with Cosima's coat wrapped around her. In the few hours between when Sarah had nearly broken Felix's door and the recon in Allison's minivan to head south, her fever had returned with renewed vigor. Cosima had packed the flash drive with her laptop, assuring Sarah that she could break it later that night. For now, she was too focused on the shivering blonde. Sarah may not have approved, but it's not like she could force her like an actual science monkey.

Gemma and Oscar stared at Cosima, waiting for an answer.

"Okay guys, let's play a game, yeah? I'm gonna say a word, and you guess what it means. The first one is 'whoopee,' as in, 'Sometimes Cosima and Delphine like to make whoopee on Uncle Felix's couch-'"

"Felix!" Allison and Sarah shouted simultaneously from the front seat. Oscar snickered while Gemma's mouth made a small 'oh'. Cosima held Delphine even closer, hoping the noise didn't wake her. She hadn't coughed much since Sarah had almost choked her, and for that Cosima was at least a little grateful.

"Is Delphine going to be okay, Aunt Cosima?" Oscar asked after a brief pause.

This time Felix played the part of a responsible adult and he put his hand on Oscar's shoulder. "Not now, buddy, a'ight?"

Oscar nodded and turned back around. Cosima mouthed a feeble 'thank you' to Felix while she blinked away fresh tears. Her eyes felt tired and the rest of her ached just as much, yearning for sleep but she couldn't allow herself to doze even for a moment.

About five minutes later, Oscar broke the silence again. "Mom, I gotta pee."

Allison rolled her eyes scanned the highway signs for a rest stop. "Does anyone else need to go?" she asked the rest of the van as she merged into the lane to exit. It was now twilight and colorful signs from convenience stores and fast food places drowned out the stars overhead. Artificial, like them.

"I'll grab a few snacks," Felix added, unbuckling his seat belt as Allison parked outside a 7-11.

"Hold hands," Allison called as an afterthought as Felix, Gemma, and Oscar exited the car before digging out her wallet from her purse and following.

That left Sarah, Cosima, and Delphine in the car. The lights that automatically came on when the car doors opened faded and Sarah unbuckled her seat belt (Cosima was amazed she fastened it in the first place, probably at Allison's insistence) and climbed back to the second row of seats.

"How is she?" she asked softly.

Cosima rubbed the sleep from her eyes and shook her head. "No worse, I guess. I'm not a doctor," she replied steadily as she ran her fingers through Delphine's hair.

Sarah took in the information and then crouched to the floor of the car, digging through a duffle bag. She pulled out a bottle of pills, "Here, I took these from Fee's place."

Cosima's eyebrows furrowed. "What's in here?" she asked, observing the pills of multiple sizes and colors.

"Little bit of everything, I imagine," Sarah said nonchalantly. "The white long ones with the round edges are Tylenol, the reddish circles there is Ibuprofen, that blue there's Advil… actually pass on the white ones. Those might be Vicodin."

Cosima dropped the pills she had in her hand back into the bottle and pulled out the red ones instead. "Delphine," she whispered and shook the blonde slightly. "Delphine, wake up."

The French woman groaned as she was unwillingly pulled from sleep and opened her eyes.

"Sorry," Cosima breathed and kissed Delphine's warm forehead. "I need you to take these," she offered the pills in her hand.

"What is it?" Delphine rasped, her voice hoarse with sleep and and a clawed up, worn out throat.

"Just more Ibuprofen for your fever," Cosima assured her. The other woman nodded and swallowed the pills.

Sarah offered her a bottle of water to wash them down. "Sorry, about earlier," she muttered, pointing to her own throat.

Delphine shrugged, though she was so achy that it came off more as a wince. "Pas de problème," she assured her. "It was justified."

Cosima wanted to protest, but softened as Delphine once again took to leaning on her. "Is there anything else I can do?" she asked. "I mean, you're the immunologist."

Delphine gave her a half-hearted smile. "I work in the lab studying diseases, not treating them, mon biquet."

Sarah snorted and quickly covered her mouth to suppress her laughter.

"What's so funny?" Cosima glared at Sarah, then at Delphine.

"She just called you a goat," Sarah explained as the lights once again flicked on and Allison, Felix, Gemma, and Oscar entered the car. Seeing his spot had been taken, Felix slid into the front seat.

"It is not like that, chérie," Delphine grinned. "It is a, what you call endearing term. Because you are so eager, like a little goat."

"That's worse than science monkey," Cosima rolled her eyes but accepted the kiss Delphine planted on her cheek.

"Here Delphine, we got you some truffles!" Gemma yelled excitedly as Oscar reached into the plastic bag.

"They got them because it was the only thing in French," Allison remarked wryly.

Delphine beamed as Cosima took the bag and opened it for them to share.

"Merci beaucoup," she said softly and popped a truffle into her mouth. She couldn't feel bad with chocolate, right?

"Alright, let's get going," Allison said with an authorative tone. Everyone groaned or protested in some way except Delphine, who was just happy to be in such strange, wonderful company.


	9. Chapter 9

The group arrived at the hotel later that night. The hotel, if you could call it that, was one of those dank two levels with the hallways outside, the vending machine out of order, and dull carpets that looked like they hadn't been vacuumed in forty years. Seeing as it was almost eleven, Gemma and Oscar had fallen asleep in the van and Felix and Sarah carried them inside, along with most of the luggage. Cosima had one arm clutching Delphine as she shuffled along, half asleep and leaning heavily on Cosima, and the other arm holding the laptop.

It was Allison who walked up to the desk, where a middle aged man sat more interested in his phone than any wandering patrons. The housewife cleared her throat and he looked up.

"Can I help you," he asked dully.

Allison nodded, resting her chin on her fist with crossed arms and gestured to the rest of the group. "We'd like two rooms, please."

The man's eyes narrowed in on Sarah and Cosima, then looked back to Allison.

Sarah adjusted Gemma on her shoulder. "Never seen triplets, have you?" she called, consciously using her 'Beth' accent to not warrant any more suspicion, though he probably wouldn't have noticed.

The man shrugged and pulled out four plastic cards from the desk. "105 and 106. Each gots a king bed and a pull out sofa. Make a left and it'll be on your right. Ice machine's at the far end."

Allison nodded. "How much?" she asked, trying to keep her voice nonchalant.

"$35 a night each. And tax. Check out's at 11 am."

Allison's eyes narrowed and she shot a look to Sarah. Sarah couldn't tell if Allison was angry about spending the money or if she was worried that the cheapness meant a neglected upkeep.

"Thank you," she managed in forced politeness, before walking back to the rest of the group and shuffling them out.

Delphine whimpered as the frosty air hit her face once more. Immediately Cosima stopped and tightened her grip on Delphine's waist, looking up at the blonde with worry. "You can rest in a few minutes, kay? You'll be fine." she murmured, though her watery eyes suggested otherwise.

Delphine squeezed her eyes shut and gave a slight nod. While her coughing may have given her slight respite, it felt like her fever was seeping into her bones and sucking out the marrow. With each step she took, everything from her metatarsals up begged for rest. Not to mention her lungs feeling like a simmering pot of stew, boiling and bubbling and cracking with each breath she took.

It killed Cosima that all she could do was hold her tight.

Sarah tapped Cosima on the shoulder pointedly, breaking the pair out of their reverie.

"Allison, Gemma and Oscar, and Fee are in the room over. I'm staying with you two, a'ight?" she explained with a softness Cosima was still unaccustomed to, and opened the door. "You two take the bed," she added as an afterthought.

Cosima nodded and helped Delphine over to the bed to sit down. She quickly pulled down the (relatively clean) sheets and pulled off Delphine's damp boots. Her stomach clenched at the sight of her feet, bony and devoid of color. It took Cosima ten more minutes to help Delphine out of her damp clothes, and Cosima smacked herself for not thinking to help her change into something dry, something of Felix's, anything. Delphine didn't seem to notice her internal turmoil.

"I've run the bath, if you want to," Sarah muttered as she emerged from the restroom.

Cosima quickly blinked back the tears threatening to stain her glasses.

"Thanks, Sarah," she managed, unable to convey her gratitude in that moment. Sarah hated Delphine, but she was helping for Cosima's sake.

Sarah shrugged and took a fleece blanket from the wardrobe to cuddle up with on the couch.

* * *

Sorry for the delay! College is kicking my ass. New chapters soon to come, hopefully.


	10. Chapter 10

The bathroom lights were a harsh, sickly yellow against the linoleum tiles that looked like they'd been there since the sixties. There was a purple oval carpet that at one time may have been fluffy and inviting, but to Cosima seemed permanently deflated from years of travelers stepping in and out of the tub. At least the tub itself looked clean, or at least recently bleached.

Delphine rested her head on Cosima's shoulder - a considerable distance downward that made Delphine just want to go the rest of the way to the floor and never get up again. But Cosima's presence - indeed, the plight of Cosima and the others in general - was keeping her from… well, she didn't even know. All that mattered right now was Cosima.

"Delphine?" she heard, that calming, quirky voice. So different from Sarah's. Softer, always a hint of excitement like she just heard a really good joke that she wants to tell.

"Mm?" Delphine grunted. She was cold and tired.

"I think you should take a bath," Cosima said, wrapping an arm around the blonde's naked waist.

Delphine's lip twitched in a smile against Cosima's scratchy sweater. "Oh no, I smell don't I," she murmured.

Cosima rolled her eyes in earnest. "Just get in the tub, kay?"

Delphine nodded and lifted her head with great effort to meet Cosima's gaze. The shorter woman's eyes were watery as she brushed a stray strand of hair from Delphine's forehead.

"Ne pleure pas, s'il vous plaît," Delphine whispered. "Please Cosima, don't cry."

Cosima quickly nodded and blinked quickly, biting her lip. "I'll be right back," she forced a smile. "Tub," she pointed to reinforce her point and left.

"Oui, oui," Delphine lowered herself to the side and then from there slipped into the tepid water.

"M-m-merde," the French woman clenched her jaw and wrapped her arms around her chest, scooting her legs up in effort to get away from the water, "fait froid."

After a few moments her nerves seemed to adjust and she felt her aching shoulders give in to gravity. She felt like shit. Which made sense, given that less than 24 hours ago she been injected with some diabolical concoction from her former boss. And now she was on the run, one of the hunted, along with the clones just trying to hang onto everything they had before the DYAD turned their life upside down. And Delphine had been instrumental in that.

"Weren't you just telling me not to cry?" came a sweet voice. Delphine looked up, unaware of the tears dripping through her fingers. Cosima stood in the doorway, naked except for her glasses. She removed them and shook out her dreads and Delphine watched her calmly as she climbed into the tub.

"I hate being short," Cosima grunted as she tried to settle behind Delphine to hold her and find a place for her legs. "Actually no, I hate that you're so tall. Why couldn't I get the height gene?"

Delphine chuckled and leaned into Cosima's touch, her neck between Cosima's slick breasts. "You know as well as I do that there are a variety of alleles that account for height, on multiple chromosomes.. as well as environmental factors. Did you drink your milk as a child, cherie?"

Cosima laughed and her hot breath excited the hairs on Delphine's neck, causing her to shiver. Cosima tightened her grip. "Of course I drank my milk. I have kickass calcium levels," she bragged.

"I have no doubt," Delphine struggled to gain traction so as to turn around and face the brunette.

She waited for the water to settle from her motion before whispering, "Merci."

Cosima's eyebrows furrowed. "What for? Wait what is that, por qua?"  
"Pour qoui," Delphine automatically corrected.

"Close enough. Why are you saying thank you?"

Delphine shrugged. "For you… the pleasure of meeting you. It is worth it, even if I…"

Cosima's expression hardened.

"Don't you say that. Don't you dare say that."

Cosima held her tightly until the water went cold.


	11. Chapter 11

The dingy room was lit only by the glow of Cosima's laptop: a black screen and white Courier New font. An encrypted code. What it actually contained, Cosima had no idea. She selfishly hoped it would contain some information on whatever poison was afflicting Delphine - Her overwhelming curiosity on her own biology be damned.

The blonde was fast asleep on the bed beside her. She had originally been covered in blankets up to her chin and kicked them off without warning ten minutes ago, her long, pale limbs sprawled across the off-white sheets. Cosima tried not to notice her face, glistening with a new sheen of sweat. But Cosima was a scientist. She noticed everything.  
The door of the motel room opened with a thunk. Sarah scrowled at the hinges and slipped inside with a bucket of ice and two sodas.

"Here, caffeine," she murmured, conscious of the ill woman whose face caught the light, her cheekbones and brow sharp and troubled. Cosima was beginning to look the same way.

"Thanks," Cosima took it with a forced small grin and set the computer to the side. She opened the soda quietly, trying to minimize the crack and sudden expulsion of fizz. Sarah gingerly sat at the foot of the bed, flustered, and opened hers the same way as Cosima took a sip with trembling hands.

"How soon can you get to this lab?" Sarah asked carefully, nodding to Delphine with her untouched soda in her lap.

Cosima shrugged. "I don't know. A day or two, max, but I don't want to leave her unless it's necessary. If I can just crack this damn code maybe it will tell us the cure."

"Or find Kira," Sarah said pointedly.

"Or find Kira," Cosima quickly echoed and nodded. "I just don't know _how_ to break this. I don't even know what's on it, Sarah," she exclaimed in a whisper, gesturing frantically to the USB.

"'S encrypted, right? Can't you just run it through a program?"

"I could if I had a key. Like, a sequence where I already know what one bit of this mess says," Cosima supplied. Her shoulders felt heavy, the bath having tired her out more by helping Delphine wash than to rejuvenate herself after less than six hours of sleep.

Sarah pondered the new information for a moment. "Let's go over what we know. About whatever poison this is."

Cosima bit her lip. "Its symptoms are flu-like - fever, aches, fatigue, some vertigo - but then there's the coughing up blood. That's more like a very aggressive type of tuberculosis."

"It was injected, right? So it has to be some kind of bug?" Sarah asked.

The dreadlocked scientist shook her head. "Not necessarily. It could be a bacteria or virus, yeah, but it could also be a toxin or a retrovirus."  
"What's the difference?"

Cosima shook her head. "I'll google it for you later. Basically, there's a shit-ton of options, all of which are potentially fatal." She spat the words out like snake venom, her voice unintentionally rising and dropping off at the last word. "_Fuck_, Sarah," she breathed deeply. "This isn't my field, you know? This is what she does, not me. Maybe we should just go to the hospital? I don't.."

Sarah took a swig of her coke and scooted forward on the bed. "Cos, you listen to me. You can do this," she punctuated each word with a pause. "You _can_. It's been a long day, yeah? I should have brought you decaf. You can look at it again tomorrow." Cosima's lower lip continued to tremble. Sarah felt her stomach turn in a bit of a panic. Grasping for the right comforting words, she continued, "What about the German? Didn't you say earlier they might be connected?"

Cosima nodded and exhaled shudderingly, trying to keep herself from crying yet again. She never cried like this. "But if they are, it's super advanced science. Like, post-PhD shit. Organic chemistry on crack. And let's be real, how long do we have?"

Sarah looked from her to the laptop and closed it. "If it comes to that, we can play their game too."

"What?"

"Don't worry about it. Get some sleep."


End file.
